The Otters Vengance
by Waterflash Arrowotter
Summary: An otter who thinks he has lost everything finds his lost brother. But what will he do now that his brother is working for vermin? COMPLETED-Rewrite in progress.
1. The Otters and The Abbey Falling

The Otters Vengance  
  
The otter was young, only a few seasons out of dibbunhood. He resembled his mother and father a lot, and thought very well of them. He was planning on living on forever as his family had done for many generations, building boats and farming the land, and having many feasts. It was one such feast which changed his life forever. For the rest of his days he would remember that feast. The feast of blood!   
  
''Waterflash! Come help set the soup out!" the otter's mother called out. He beamed with pride, ready to see how the holt liked his first batch of soup. As he served the first bowl to his father, he dropped the bread he was eating and dropped his head into the soup. "Silly father. We need to say the prayer first..." said the young otter, his voice trailing off as he saw the arrow embeded in his fathers back. "Father?" he said, but then was cut short as arrows hit the feasters, followed by vermin war cries. A large male otter quickly grabbed his sling and yelled "We're -"only to be cut off by another arrow. The young otter, Waterflash, reached for his favoret weapon, but immediatly lost it as a sword cleaved it in two, cutting into him. Falling over, he saw the vermin go down, but there were too many. He screamed as he watched his mother, his friends, his holt, fall to vermin arrows, until he too was silenced by one.  
  
Waterflash awoke. Pain was in his side and in his head. He tried getting up, expecting to see his moter nearby, cooking. When he saw her dead, a rage built up inside him. Heading into the kitchen area of the cave where his holt was, he moved a smaltsone to get some healing supplies. Bandaging himself, he went off in search of survivors.  
  
Waterflash was in despair. Finding he was the only survivor he had buried the dead, and put the remaining supplies from his holt into a haversack. Then he set off towards the distant fire mountain.  
  
Several days passed before he reached the mountain. But even they would not help. They said they could not go off to who knows where tg do war. Sadley, he walked on.  
  
Soon he found himself at redwall abbey, and found happiness there, not telling about his past, until one day, he had to confront it. The day started like the day his holt was attacked: he had an uneasy feeling. He went off to find the abbot, and said "Father Abbot! I think something is going to happen to the abbey soon. I can feel it." The abbot told him "My dear Waterflash. There has been peace for Many Seasons. There is no reason to panic."   
  
That night, Waterflash did a lone sentry on the wall. Then, he saw thousands of torches heading for the abbey. And the torches, which burned blue were the same that had attacked his holt. An arrow was fired at him. Running towards the belltower, he yelled "Redwallers! Awaken! Foebeasts are attacking!" Reaching the tower, he rung out the Alarm. The abbot came out and up to the walls, where redwallers were going. The abbot began ''No more of th-'' but stopped for two reasons. One was the sight of the Vermin, two was the spear that ended his life. Waterflash immediately took charge, and yelled, " Heads down! Three beasts to the attic for weapons. Foremole, barricade the doors. Mice, get a water chain formed up, and make a fire. Otters, form up on this wall, slings ready!" As the weapon mice came in, the abbey warrior came towards Waterflash. "They arn't much of a threat, their crazy, putting grog by the doors!" Waterflash replied "Get everybeast off this wall!" Before the arrior could answer, an otter on the threshold yelled "Fire!". Then the world fell apart. With an Earthshattering roar, the grog exploded, ripping the wall apart, throwing wall, bodies, and leaving a crater. The vermin charged the wall, where many, including the warrior were trapped. Waterflash yelled "Redwall to me! Evacuate the abbey!" The warrior, having freed himself, went with Waterflash and Skipper of Otters, out of the abbey. Reaching Brockhall a short while later, which had been rebuilt under the direction of Abbes Triss. The dibnuns and a few of the elders were there. Seeing no one from his otter crew, Skipper started to feel faint, and collapsed into a chair. Waterflash came over and said "I know matey. This has happened to me before." He related his story, and then showed skipper an ornate dagger that he had found in one of his friends in the raid. On it, in a language Skipper could read, but Waterflash could not, was a poem:  
  
He who takes this blade shall see death in his family. We'll follow you down forever through the earth and kill those you love, just to hurt!  
  
Skipper went into a rage. Pulling his sling, he yelled "Scum! You brought this upon us!" and lept on Waterflash, as the warrior yelled "Skip! No!" and tried to pull him off. Once! Twice! Skipprs sling hit the warrior, knocking him senseless and grabbed his sword, the sword of Martin. As he brought it towards Waterflash, he saw Martin who said "The vermin horde will be no more, after the fire lord visits seek him out the flash is the key"  
  
As Skipper froze, Waterflash saw his chance and hit him on the head with his dagger. Skipper, senseless, was quickly bound by Waterflash with some rope nearby. Before he could gag him, the warrior, named Tam, said "What happened?" Waterflash related the story while they waited for skipper to come to. 


	2. The Tourtured Traitor

Skipper felt pain, more then he had ever had before. He felt great loss, anger, and pain, and he couldn't remember why. As it suddenly came back to him, he screamed louder then he had before, a scream that would haunt many creatures till the end of their days.  
  
Both Waterflash and Tam felt the fur on the back of their heads stand, but as soon as Skipper stoped screaming, they went to him. He was breathing hard, and had a faraway look in his eye, murmmuring "Its gone. Their gone. Its all over..." He kept repeating this, as Tam and Waterflash were trying to calm him down.  
  
"Skipper, what's wrong? Calm down! Your not making any sense!"  
  
"Mate! Please, Calm Down! You need to tell us why your doing this!"  
  
Tam suddenly grabbed something from his pack, which caught skippers attention. "Skip, please, why did you do that?"  
  
"Mate, please tell us!"  
  
Then skipper looked at Waterflash, with a look of hatred and said, "They always loved you, never me. It was always the youngest! And then you betrayed them! You killed them! And then you had the nerve to do it here."  
  
Waterflash gasped, a memory that he had lost after the attack on his holt surfacing. Looking at the confused tam, he saw the tail bracelet he had made for Skipper many seasons before. "Deep? Deeprudder?" Skipper strained against the ropes binding him, and yelled "Don't call me that! Scum cannot use that name!"  
  
"But thats the name of our holt, given to you so that you could lead it."  
  
The ropes finially snapped, and Skipper had to be held back by Tam, and yelled so loud that the surviving dibbuns began to cry. "Our holt! OUR holt! They wanted you to lead! They wanted me gone! Thats why I left!"  
  
"But deep, they never wanted that. They wanted you to be happy, thats why they gave you the best!"  
  
"Then why did they send me out  
  
..." His voice trailed off, a memory that had long ago been repressed, and started murmuring and crying, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've done!" Waterflash said "Deep, mate, I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me who you were? I was loney, and what are you talking about."  
  
"They thought you knew, I wanted to tell you..." then he shuddered "They were merciful."  
  
Then tam spoke, letting him slide to a chair. "What do you mean Skip? Who is them?"  
  
"Them! The ones that took tne abbey! The ones that used me! I helped them kill my holt. They thought he knew, they didn't want me removed!" Waterflash said "Deep, why did you do this?"   
  
"They brainwashed me. I left to find the skipper at redwall at the time for guidence. They found me, and tortured me for days, until I believed them. I don't deserve to live!" and grabbed for a dagger Tam had. Both Tam and Waterflash knocked him to the ground, and Waterflash said "Its not your fault! But we can't save redwall if your dead!" Then, a knock came at the outet door, and an evil voice said "We know your in there! We had a friend who swam to tell us!" And Skipper started shaking hard, saying "I can't, but I need to, but why?"   
  
Suddenly he grabbed a dagger from Tam, and then grabbed Waterflash, putting a dagger to his neck. "I have what you want." Then he loosened the dagger a bit, and started shaking. "Tam,don't try to stop me. They'll make me kill you. Run now, don't tell me where your going. They'll make me kill you." and began to take Waterflash, who looked scared, out. "Deep, no, you don't want to do this!" Suddenly Waterflash found himself bound and gaged. Skipper said "The squirrel is running. Elders and dibbuns are down the hall to the right. A rat, the one who had been giving commands, said, "Get the squirrel, otter." Skipper paused, and said, "I can't. He's my friend..."  
  
The rat moved, revealing a nasty looking torture device. "Get him, now, or your brother will see what will happen to him happening to you." He motioned, and two rats came at him. Ducking into Brockhall, he said "I'll get him!"  
  
The rat grinned, and said to Waterflash "Now otter, your going to do as we say, or else we'll do this to you after this time." They ungaged him, and said, "It only worked on my brother because he was young. I'll kill you, and make you pay for what you've done to my family." The rat grinned more, and said "Your brother said the same thing."  
  
Tam was running through the woods, ready to kill skipper or Waterflash if he saw either of them. He knew by the screams in the air what they were doing now, and wondering how they could drive a beast as to do what Skipper had done. Running towards the ocean, he ran the events through his mind. Deeprudder. That was the name of the traitor of redwall, and the one he thought had been his friend. And the shy otter from the abbey, there could be no trusting him now. Tam ran, but soon triped over a tree root, knocking himself senseless. In his dreams he saw Skipper, Waterflash, and Martin. Waterflash started first, and said, "Help me! The vermin won't stop. They've made the suevivors slaves. They won't stop hurting us, any of us!"  
  
Then Martin Spoke, "Don't use my sword to slay another redwaller, no matter what they have done. You must get to Salamandastron, and kill the vermin. Only then can your friend be free. Remember this: Listen to the shy one. He is strong willed, and if you hurry they will not break him. However, if he is on their side, then salamandastron and the free world will likely die. Tell your friend that his father still lives, the vermin have told him he is dead to make him work."  
  
Then Skipper spoke, "Tam, I'm really sorry about this, mate."  
  
Tam suddenly awoke. Martins sword was pressed to his neck, and he was gaged and tied to a cart. "I'll undo the gag in the morning, then I'll take you to them. You'll probably be...punished." He shuddered, as another scream came out of the distance, in the direction of redwall. "They will only do it once, if you agree to do what they want you to do."  
  
At Salamandastron, the badger lord Arryo the brutal, shuddered. Suddenly, for reasons he could not tell, all the peace was gone, and an ominous evil was settling over the land.  
  
WA: I think this answers a few questions that have been asked. And before anyone asks how an otter could betourtured into believing things, let me tell you what the torture device does(I call it the Ultra Torture). It stretches its victim until arms and legs are disclocated, and turns back and forth, making small cuts. Spikes cut the victim, just a little. Next, the vermin throw salt water on the victim, which makes his body feel like its on fire. The device pushes his limbs in at the same time, relocating them, but adding to the pain, as they are whipped. Also, When they did it to deeprudder, they had the convinience of an ocean. They had him submurged completely for a few minutes. Did it to him for days, until they brainwashed him, and almost drove him to insanity. I won't tell you how they use it to kill. Lets just say I didn't sleep very well after thinking it up.   
  
Also, I will be breaking up the first chapter into at least three. I am working on that now. Thanks for the reviews! 


	3. Fight for the World

The morning broke. All night Waterflash had been tortured. The rat was questioning him with a whip. "Where do you think the squirrel went? Its simple. Go, and help bring him here. Or we will have to do this again."  
  
Waterflash said, "I don't care what you do to me. I won't become the monster you made my brother. I will not betray my friends to you, no matter what you do to me!"  
  
"Take him away! Do it until he complies!" Then he sighed, and said to an advisor. "Why won't they learn?"  
  
As the screaming began again, the advisor said, "Remember, his brother took a few days of constant torture. This otter will break. They always do."  
  
Tam awoke. He was ungagged and moving. He could hear the screams in the distance. Then he remembered Martin's words. "Skip! Skip! What your doing is wrong. You know it. All we have to do is get to Salamandastron together. Then we'll be safe."  
  
Skipper looked at his former friend with anger. "They'll track me down and kill me. They did it to my father. They got him alive. He wouldn't do what they wanted, so he ran, they killed him."  
  
Tam sighed, and said, "Skip, you can't believe vermin. Martin the warrior visited me before you got me. He said your father was not dead." As he said this, he had worked a paw free, and moved towards the sword of Martin. Skipper stoped the cart, and started shaking. "Liar! You just want me to die. I know what to believe!" Now Tam had the sword, and threw it at Skipper, knocking him senseless. Getting free, he retrieved the sword, and said, "You need to listen. I'm sorry, but your going to ruin the world." With that, he ran off towards Salamandastron, and hope.  
  
Extract from the writings of Shobin, recorder of the free redwall contingent:  
  
The unthinkable has happened. Our abbey is gone, captured by vermin. There are only a few of us free. From what I have heard, from the abbey Warrior, Tam, The news is not good. We met up with him at about lunch. We were astounded as to what Skipper had done. A few here, even from his holt, have called him vile and insane. I feel sad for the shy otter, Waterflash is his name. We can hear his trtured screams un the distance, as the vermin try to make him work fir them. We cannot trust either anymore, as they could lead to our doom. Its sad, really, what has happened in Waterflash's life. Its a wonder he could talk to skipper after he found out Skipper was responsible for the murder of countless innocents. The screaming has stopped now, and I can only hope because of Distance. "Where did the squirrel go?! You must tell us this now, or we'll do it again!" We'll do it, yes, and we can do it for months without killing. Take him back!" The rat had been yelling at Waterflash. Now that he knew there was no information that the otter would give yet, he wanted the otter back on the device. Another rat stepped up. "Sir, tge device needs cleaning. And If we dot give him food and water soon, he'll die. We can break hom only if he is alive." "Fine! Lock him up with the others for now. As soon as we can, put him back on there."  
  
In the cellars of Redwall, about fifty abbey dwellers were locked up. "Have you heard? Skipper is that shy otters brother. He betrayed hs family and us to the scum. Now rheir trying to do the same to the shy otter." Then the doors opened, and Wterflash was hurled in. As soon as the doors had closed, he answered everybeasts question by looking at the door and saying "Scum! I'll kill you for what you've done!" Then an old mouse came up to him. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Okay? OKAY!? They've tourtured me for almost a day, asking where Tam and the other free redwallers are. I can't tell them. I won't be like my brother. I can't betray our last hope."  
  
Then the door opened, and moldy bread with watered down soup came in. As the captives ate in silence, Waterflash tried to think of a way out of his predicament.  
  
Then he slept. He was tired, and needed his sleep. Suddenly, he and the other captives brought up to the abbey grounds. The rat addressed Waterflash. "I know how to break you. Tell me where that squirell went, and the captives live. If you don't, they each die slowly. And I know that you know exactly where he went. Lie, and they get toutured to death." Waterflash remained silent, hatred blazing at his captors. Then, the rat took a sword and sliced off the old mouse's paw. The mouse screamed, and Waterflash said, "You murdering scum. This won't work. Evil never wins." Slicing the mouses other paw off, the rat said, "Oh, really? Your brother knew that we would kill your holt. He had to choose between you and himself. He toldus he would help us if you went free. But he wants you back. You can see him, if you cooperate." Waterflash paused, and said, "I'll only talk to my brother. If you harm anybeast, however, I'll take my secrets with me to the grave." A few redwallers gasped, but Waterflash knew that if he could get his brother to realize what he was doing, he could turn it around. If not, then everyone was killed, but not made a slave. The commanding rat sent for Skipper, who ha returned empty handed, and threw Waterflash into an empty cell. Then Waterflash heard the door open, close, and be locked. There was the sound of Flint and steel, and Skipper was standing there holding a torch. "So, you've made the right choice."  
  
Waterflash calmly replied, "Yes, but its not what you think."  
  
The woods were quiet. Everyone was sleeping, except for Tam and Shobin, who were on guard duty. Tam felt that someone should go ahead to Salamandastron, and Tell the Badger Lord.  
  
"How can you say that, Deep? If we tell, the world will be gone." Waterflash and Skipper were arguing again. "They'll give us freedom if we tell." "You really think that? You're less of my brother then ever." "But-" "No, listen. They gave me freedom, until they wanted me. They'll do the same." He took a dagger out. "Work with me, Deep, or we will forever betray the world. But if we fight and win here, we will save countless generations from slavery. Tam needs us, I know. But betraying him won't help. I know a way out. This was my privet room. Come on." And they both went through a hole in the wall.  
  
"The otters, their gone!" yelled a rat. The leader took immiate action. "Bring them back and kill them! Now!" The otters heard vermin in hot pursuit. Skipper took a large round stick, and said, "I'll stop them. Find Tam. Tell them to move! I told where they are!" Waterflash went away, and then he heard some fighting, and a scream as his brother went down. He kept running, until morning, when he found the camp. Running in, he said, "Where's Tam, I need to urk!" He felt a grip on him, and he was bound and dragged into a tent, with a familiar dagger at his back. Then he heard Tam's voice. "What do the vermin want, traitor? Are they about to march in here?"  
  
Waterflash gulped, and said, "Deep knew. He cracked last night, before we tried escaping. He died to let me warn you. The vermin will be here soon. As for being a traitor, I suppose I am. They are going to kill their prisoners because of my silence, and then running. My brother handed us over though, he told the verminhow to get into Salamandastron, and our location. We need to go, now. And if you don't trust me, kill me. The vermin would do it slowly, if they found me."  
  
Tam stood open mouthed, staring at Watrflash, wondering how it could be true. But then, he realized, Waterflash had kept things secret from them for a long time. Undoing the bindings he said, "Sorry. Lets go."  
  
"Arryo, Sah, that otter from a few seasons ago is back. He has news and says the mountain is in grave danger. Shall I send the bounder away, Sah?" Arryo paused, and then spoke. "Let him in Rootpaw."  
  
"So you see, that is why we need a new defense strategy." Arryo was talking to his hares, just after hearing the tale of Redwalls demise. And we don't have much time to do it."  
  
WA: Don't worry, whats about to happen is not what most would think would happen. I would say more, but It would ruin the surprise. 


	4. The death of many

"We attack at dawn! Into the passage!"  
  
Nearly a week had past since the redwallers reached Salamandastron. In that time, the vermin had marched to a hidden place, where a tunnel lead into Salamandastron. It was the same one used by Lorc Stownpaw and his hares, countless seasons ago. The army would be split up, one group coming in, another creating a diversion. It was all going well. The rat smiled. With the last non-vermin strongholds out of the way, it would not be long until he ruled the world, and had all its riches.  
  
"How does molten lead feel?" Asked Waterflash as they discussed ways to defend the mountain. "Just have enough so that thescum can't jump over it and they won't be inside." Cries of agreement arose, and Arryo pounded the table to get order. "Okay, Okay, good idea. I'll melt some down as soon as possible. How do we deal with the others? I'm sure they'll use slaves as protection."  
  
An old hare suggested, "Lay in wait. Hit em from behind."  
  
So, now the mountain was defended.  
  
Dawn came, and the vermin rushed into the mountain, on a piece of Metal. Rootpaw was on one end, and he yelled "Die Scum!" and jumped off. Two rats got off, on Rootpaws side, and ran him through with a spear, and threw the body into the lead. Swiftly moving, they started to get behind the defenders.  
  
Outside, the attack went bad. Seeing he couldn't win, he surrendered. Slowly he pulled out a dagger as Tam came over to take his sword. Waterflash had been watching him, when he saw the dagger. "Tam! No! Its a trap!" Too late. A flash of a dagger, and the abbey warrior hit the ground, never to move again. Then Waterflash lost it. Filled with rage, he charged the over hundred Vermin, and picked up the sword of Martin. "Scum! Murderer! You'll kill no more!" Rushing the vermin, he fought against spear and sword, getting severely wounded. The other fighters rushed in to help, but would not get to him in time. Then, from the direction of the woods, Vermin guards were flung away, as the captured Redwallers broke out and charged, somehow having weapons. The rat backed out but Waterflash jumped on him. Stabbing, he tried to kill the mad otter, and knocked him out. About to come in for the kill, a spear ran through him, and the last thing the rat heard was, "I'll never do it again... scum!" Skipper, scarred from the escape, stood there, and dragged Waterflash out of the fight. Bringing him near the broken slave chains, he ministered to Waterflash's wounds, talking the whole time. "I'll never listen to them again. I'm sorry I lied to you brother. I thought about what you said, more had a dream, really, when they left me for dead. When I woke, I tried to set it right. I freed the slaves, gave them weapons." Finishing the job, he put Waterflash behind a tree, and said, "I know you probably can't hear me, but I have to go. They'll never let me be in redwall after what I did." Then he left, leaving his senseless brother. Going north.  
  
The fight continued, and as one hare looked down at the nearly defeated vermin. He had become good friends with Tam, hopeing to go back to redwall with him.Then, he suddenly saw Tam, not on the battlefeild, but reflecting in the window. Turning, he saw Tam was not there, but the two rats were there. Quickly moving away from a spear thrust, he grabbed a crossbow, and fired, slaying one rat. The other advanced. He flung a stone, and missed for his last time. He was stabbed with a spear, and was knocked senseless as he bled to death. In his mind, he saw three figures, a hare, a squirrle, and a mouse. He knew the hare and the squirrle, they were Rootpaw and Tam. The mouse, however, he did not know. The mouse had a kind smile, and wore armor. He also had the same sword that Tam did. Then Tam spoke. "Looks like we'll be together, though not at redwall."  
  
Rootpaw spoke. "The blighters surprised me. I'm sorry for what I've done."  
  
Then the mouse spoke. "The battle is over. You are the last one to die. Come with us." and held out his paw.  
  
"N-n-no! I'm not dead! Neither is Tam, are you?"  
  
Tam replied, sadly. "The scum said they surrendered. Their leader got me with a dagger."  
  
The hare began to run, away from the madness, but was pulled in towards them. Tam held out his paw. "Come with us."  
  
Then things went black.  
  
The devastation was horrific. Only fifty redwallers were actually alive, the others lay dead. Arryo was in the forge room, hearing reports from his hares. "We took twenty casualties, sah. Most of the enslaved Redwallers were killed, the others are senseless. Their warrior is slain, and that otter is missing, presumed dead."  
  
Another hare rushed in. "Two rats got in. They got a cadet, and Rootpaw is missing. We killed the rats, the cadet died later."  
  
Waterflash awoke. There was pain all over his body. Two hares were nearby looking for him. He tried calling out, but failed. Then , he moved his paw down. It was on top of a twig, which snapped aloud. Before the hares could come over, blackness took him again.  
  
He awoke again, this time somewhere warm. He tried getting up, but was held down by a paw. "Stay down. You need your rest."  
  
"Did Tam make it?" Waterflash asked, his voice weak sounding. The hare shook its head sadly.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. He went during the battle. You need your sleep."  
  
Soon, he was asleep.  
  
Extract from the personal writings of Waterflash Arrowotter of Redwall Abbey in Mossflower country.  
  
I've always held back from having friends. Tam was one of the few I did have. I feel like Its my fault that Tam is dead. If I had seen the dagger earlier, he might still be alive.  
  
The Salamandastron hares helped us rebuild the abbey. I sit on the new wall now, contemplating life. I cannot fight anymore, for I was injured too badly. It pains me to move, and I can't even move my legs. Being paralyzed they call it. There is a ramp, so that I may get up and down.  
  
It has been ten seasons since the night that redwall fell. I have one friend though. Someone like me. Shobin, the abbey recorder, was also badly injured. He can walk, but not much. I hope that someday, I will meet my brother again. I don't think he's dead now. I have a dream each night of the battle, with him and Tam by my sides. Tam, he always dies, but my brother goes north. I only wish I could go there, If only to see him alive.  
  
Waterflash Arrowotter Redwall Abbey in Mossflower Country  
  
WA: Well, Its done, but I will use this as a guideline to rewrite, along with your reviews, a longer, better version. 


	5. Reviews

To those who have submited Reviews thanks, and let me answer a few Questions:  
  
RedFerret16:   
  
Thanks. I'll be working on it, but as for the spaces, I'll need to spend some thime on that. The converter automatically takes it out when converted from Palm Ebook, the format I write it in, to Text, the format I upload it in. For Drawing out the story, there is more coming soon, as soon as summer starts I can get to that, and I will draw out the first Chapter some.  
  
Taigetsu:  
  
I wanted to write a story where there is a sudden, surprise, determined attack on the abbey. This is not the end of the Book, just the end of the First Chapter. I wanted people to comeback, so I sort of left a cliffhanger, with Skipper bound, the Abbot dead, and They abbey Captured.  
  
Don't worry, The hares at Salamandastron will help, they just didn't, because if you read The Long Patrol, The hares didn't want to march willy nilly about the country to fight wars.  
  
The abbot not listening was becasue it was only a feeling that Waterflash had, no evidence to support him. Don't the vermin usually talk first? was his reasoning, and also (probably should of included this) Waterflash is emotionally scarred, and likes attention, so the abbot thought he just wanted attention, not that his abbey was under attack.  
  
avlblu:  
  
The abbey warrior customarily keeps the sword of Martin with him when there are vermin. Being in the gatehouse, he knew about the attack soon after it happened, so had the sword, and brought it with him.  
  
For skipper, the reason that he used scum and tried to kill waterflash with a sling will be revealed in one of the next chapters (I have been working on this).  
  
For this chapter, yes, it needs to be longer, with more for each part, and I will try to get to that.  
  
Redwall was abandoned because they had a large vermin horde charging, with many of the abbey dwellers dead, the elders and dibbuns could not fight themeselves, the vermin had already blown the wall. What would stop them from blowing the building? As long as there is life there is hope, and it would be a bad story if the abbey was taken and there were no surviviors.  
  
Salamandastron did not help, becasue the hares were without a badger lord at the time, and did not want to fight wars everywhere. However, the fall of redwall will change their minds.  
  
If anyone wants to know why skipper did what he did before hand, and will die if they can't wait, please e-mail me at waterflasharrowotterredwall.net (yes, I know thats the name of one of my characters, but I use him for RP, and Redwall forum usernames, so I needed an e-mail for it)  
  
Redferret 16:  
  
Yes, I do now accept unsigned reviews. The last chapter is now up, but this is a first draft... I will be writing it over, but I wanted to finish it first so I knew what was going to happen.  
  
I did use your reviews to write another story however, which will be much much longer (its takes place over a week for the first part, there are three parts, and the first day isn't even over but its 2/3 the size of the Otters Vengance.  
  
E.B. Keane-Farrell:  
  
Yes, it is awful... I blame UPN for showing me a chinese torture type thing when I was writing it.  
  
At least you don't have to know how to kill with it. I am currently reading your story, but so far it sounds good. 


End file.
